Chapter 52 Kiss That Changed Everything

Chapter 52 Kiss That Changed Everything
Mayzie yawned, stretching her arms above her head as the sounds from her alarm clock hummed to wake her up. She had left the sliding doors open the night before, letting a cool island breeze drift into the room. Now, the gentle warmth of the morning sun was starting to take over. Her eyes drifted to the clock on the nightstand, and her relaxed expression quickly faded into a frown.

Even on vacation, Dalton insisted that everyone in the house be awake by seven. Naturally, that responsibility fell on her, since he was apparently too sensitive to use an alarm clock himself. Slipping out of bed, she took a quick shower and threw on a plain tank top and shorts. Since they weren't leaving the island until dinner, she figured she could dress down. Usually, her casual clothes were high-end brands, but today she just wanted to wear something comfortable from home.

After checking her hair and putting on a bit of makeup, she decided she was presentable and headed out into the hallway, stopping right in front of Dalton's double doors. She knocked softly and waited. She knocked again when there was no answer.

"Come in!" Mayzie heard as Dalton called out.

She pushed the door open, only to freeze. Dalton was standing in the middle of the room completely naked, holding a pair of swim trunks. He instantly scrambled to cover himself.

"I said coming, not come in!" he shouted as Mayzie slammed the door shut.

Heat rushed to her face. Leaning against the wall, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her racing heart.

"What the hell?" Dalton yelled from inside.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" was all she could manage to get out.

A moment later, the door swung open, and Mayzie nearly tumbled backward as her support disappeared. She quickly straightened up and looked at Dalton. His face was just as bright red as hers felt, and he refused to look her in the eye.

"I'm really sorry," she muttered, fighting a sudden urge to giggle.

"What is so funny?" he snapped, walking over to the bed to grab his sandals without looking at her.

"Nothing, nothing is funny. I just..." She cleared her throat, looking out the window to hide her face.

"Because?" he pressed, his voice sharp.

"It's nothing."

"I just got out of the shower!" he exclaimed.

"I barely saw anything, I swear!" Mayzie giggled again, quickly clapping a hand over her mouth. "Sorry, it's just nerves. I laugh when I'm embarrassed."

Dalton rolled his eyes, slipping into his sandals. "Walking into a guy's room like that," he muttered under his breath.

"I walk into your room every morning!" Mayzie retorted. "Besides, why were you just standing there naked anyway?"

"I was getting dressed!"

"You always get dressed in the bathroom because you know I come in at any time." Mayzie gasped playfully. "You planned this!"

"W-what?" Dalton stuttered, stepping back. "Why would I plan to embarrass myself? That's ridiculous!"

Mayzie smiled. "I'm just teasing. Don't worry about it. I've seen a couple of guys naked before... well, three now. It's no big deal."

"It's a big deal to me!"

"Right, you've probably only ever been seen naked by your mom, huh?" she teased.

"And Madeline! And my nannies!" he countered.

"Yeah, but no woman who wasn't paid to look after you," she chuckled. "Well, happy birthday!" Mayzie wanted to keep things light. She didn't want to risk her job over an awkward misunderstanding.

"Happy birthday? Embarrassment is my present?" he growled.

"No, the present is me letting you make your grand nude appearance debut in front of a woman," she joked. "Come on, let it go."

"Then strip."

"What?"

"If it's no big deal, you should do it too." He crossed his arms, waiting.

Mayzie raised an eyebrow. "No way. It's different for girls."

"Different how?"

"We have more to hide. Corny jokes aside, you covered up so fast I only saw what I'd see if you were in swim trunks anyway. Let's just forget it and get breakfast." She cleared her throat, keeping the small white lie to herself.

Dalton relaxed slightly. "You really didn't see anything?"

"Promise. Nothing."

He squinted at her suspiciously. "I don't believe you."

"What, do you think my eyes instantly dropped there when I saw a naked person? I was looking at your face, and you covered up before I even realized what was happening." She forced herself not to swallow nervously, feeling like the lie was catching in her throat.

Dalton stood in silence, arms still crossed.

"Anyway, based on how you acted a few weeks ago, I thought you'd love showing off," she teased. "So why care now?"

"Why care? I don't see you that way anymore!" he snapped. "You're just an employee to me."

"Good. If I'm just an employee, then my opinion doesn't matter. Let's eat. Don't ruin the day over this."

Dalton pressed his lips together. "Fine. What you think doesn't matter anyway. Let's go, and we never speak of this again."

Mayzie gave a firm nod, though she noticed Dalton's cheeks stayed flushed all through breakfast. Even at the table, he couldn't shake the awkwardness, drawing a few curious looks from the rest of the group. Whenever he caught Mayzie looking, his face would turn red all over again. Eventually, he excused himself to go to the backyard sauna. The rest of the group — Blake, Clyde, Gustav, and the girls — followed him shortly after, not wanting to leave him alone while he was stewing.

Only Arking and Ariel stayed behind. Mayzie kept quiet, but the air felt heavy now that the room had emptied. Curiously, the tension wasn't coming from Arking, but from his brother.

"We should talk," Ariel said just as Mazyie finished her food and stood up to leave.

She paused, looking at him with a frown. "There's nothing to talk about."

He shook his head. "There is. The three of us were becoming close friends. Arking and I never really let people into our inner circle; even Dalton is kept at a distance. I don't want us to drift apart." He glanced at his brother, who was staring down at his plate in what looked like shame. "Do you, Arking?"

"What?" Arking blinked, looking up.

"Do you want things to end with Mayzie?"

"No," Arking muttered, shaking his head.

"Then you shouldn't have messed with me," Mayzie snapped, turning on her heel toward the living room.

Ariel followed her quickly, cutting her off before she could reach the stairs, while Arking leaned quietly against the back of the couch.

"Apologize," Ariel told his brother, his eyes still fixed on Mayzie.

"I'm really sorry, Mayzie. It won't happen again, I promise." Arking reached out toward her arm but hesitated, dropping his hand back to his side and looking down.

Mayzie kept her eyes averted. "An apology doesn't fix it."

"Arking told me what happened," Ariel intervened. "How he made you think there could be something more between you two. The only thing we can offer is friendship, and I'm sorry he made you believe otherwise."

Arking stood up straight. "It was just a joke. If I thought you would take me seriously, I would not have gone that far. I didn't mean to mess with your head and feelings."

"Mess with my head and feelings?" Mayzie scoffed, swallowing her anger. She wanted nothing more than to slap him.

"I made you think I had feelings for you, which made you doubt things with Alonso and doubt yourself. I'm sorry. I really wouldn't have played around if I knew it would hurt you."

Ariel nodded, satisfied with the apology, and looked back at Mayzie. "Come on, Mayzie. We miss hanging out with you. Let's just move past this and be friends again, okay?"

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Why not?" Ariel asked, looking genuinely hurt.

"Because I can't just brush it off. And honestly, I don't think you're completely innocent either, Ariel. You know your brother better than anyone. You had to know what he was doing, but you just let it happen."

Ariel let out a sharp breath. "So now I'm responsible for his choices?"

"No, you're responsible for not standing up for a friend. If you saw me about to trip, wouldn't you reach out to catch me? It's the same thing." Mayzie crossed her arms, leaving Ariel momentarily speechless. "You watched him play games with me and didn't say a word."

After a tense silence, Arking spoke up, a small smirk playing on his lips. "What do I have to do to make it up to you? A happy kiss time?"

Ariel smiled at the joke.

"Go back in time and don't kiss me at all," Mayzie snapped, glaring at him.

"Is the kiss really that big of a deal?" Arking asked.

"Yes, it is!"

"Dalton kissed you, and you didn't react like that!" Arking shot back.

"I didn't care about and didn't like Dalton!" She bit her lip immediately, praying he wouldn't read too much into that slip of the tongue. "I mean... you were my friend. That meant something. Dalton didn't mean anything to me."

Arking's heart skipped a beat, but he forced his expression to stay neutral. He couldn't let her see how much her words stung. He wanted so badly to tell her the truth... that he was only doing this because his brother had asked him to, that he actually did care about her, and that every word he had said before was real. But he couldn't. Not until Dalton was completely out of the picture. He wanted to give his friend a fair shot, even if a selfish part of him wanted her for himself.

He stepped forward, intending to give her a reassuring hug, but Mayzie kept her back turned to him.

Ariel caught the flash of confusion and hurt in his brother's eyes. Reading the situation instantly, he knew this was heading down a dangerous path for everyone involved. Moving quickly, Ariel stepped in before Arking could make a move, grabbed Mayzie by the shoulders, and pulled her into a sudden kiss.